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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. vault — a safe
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. kid — child
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. swing — in golf
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. season — of the year
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. swing — to play on
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. sharp — clever
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. content — the amount
  21. swing — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com